Early Christian Views on the Olympics and Pagan Games

Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen Direct teaching

At Nemea, another person was buried, a little boy named Archemorus. The funeral games for that child are called the Nemean games. Pisa is the grave of the Phrygian charioteer, O Greeks of every tribe. And the Olympian games, which are nothing more than funeral sacrifices for Pelops, are claimed by the Zeus of Phidias as his own. The mysteries also were, most likely, games held in honor of the dead. The same was true of the oracles, and both became public. But the mysteries at Sagra and at Alimus in Attica were limited to Athens. But those contests and phalloi dedicated to Dionysus were a shame to the whole world, spreading their deadly influence through life. For Dionysus, eagerly wanting to go down to Hades, did not know the way. A man named Prosymnus offered to tell him, but not without a reward. The reward was disgraceful, though Dionysus did not think so. What Prosymnus asked from Dionysus as his payment was a sexual favor. The god was not unwilling to grant the request. He promised to fulfill it if he returned, and he confirmed his promise with an oath. After learning the way, he left and then came back again. But he did not find Prosymnus, because he had died. In order to car

Tertullian, De Spectaculis (On the Shows) Direct teaching

...wn to many among us. So our inquiry must go back to ancient times, and our sources must be books of pagan literature. Several writers still exist who have published works on this subject. According to them, the origin of the games is as follows. Timaeus tells us that settlers from Asia, led by Tyrrhenus, were defeated by his brother in a struggle over his native kingdom and then settled in Etruria. There, among other superstitious practices carried out under the name of religion, they established public shows in their new land. The Romans, at their own request, got from them skilled performers, the proper times for the shows, and even the name itself, for it is said that they are called Ludi from the Lydians. Although Varro derives the name Ludi from Ludus, that is, from play, because they also called the Luperci Ludii since they ran about in sport, still, in his view, that sport of young men belonged to feast days and temples and to objects of religious reverence. However, the origin of the name matters little, when it is certain that the thing itself comes from idolatry. The Liberalia, under the general name of Ludi, plainly proclaimed the glory of Father Bacchus. These festiv

Tertullian, De Spectaculis (On the Shows) Supporting witness

To the testimony of antiquity is added that of later games instituted in their turn, and betraying their origin from the titles which they bear even at the present day, in which it is imprinted as on their very face, for what idol and for what religious object games, whether of the one kind or the other, were designed.

Tertullian, De Spectaculis (On the Shows) Supporting witness

Well, among other superstitious observances under the name of religion, they set up in their new home public shows.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

Stay away from all pagan books. What do you have to do with such foreign teachings, laws, or false prophets that overthrow the faith of unstable people? What lack do you find in the law of God, that you should turn to those pagan fables? If you want to read history, you have the books of the Kings. If you want books of wisdom or poetry, you have the books of the Prophets, Job, and Proverbs. In them you will find greater depth of understanding than in all the pagan poets and sophists, because these are the words of the Lord, the only wise God. If you want something to sing, you have the Psalms. If you want the origin of things, you have Genesis. If you want laws and statutes, you have the glorious law of the Lord God. Therefore, completely stay away from all strange and diabolical books. No, when you read the law, do not think that you are required to keep the added precepts, if not all of them, then even some of them. Read those only for the sake of history, so that you may know them and glorify God that He has delivered you from so great and so many bonds. Aim to distinguish which rules came from the law of nature, and which were added afterward, or were additional rules introduce

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching

...hem, and will inherit woe. Also avoid indecent spectacles. I mean the theaters and the pomps of the heathens, their enchantments, observations of omens, soothsayings, purgations, divinations, observations of birds, their necromancies, and their invocations. For it is written, "There is no divination in Jacob, nor soothsaying in Israel," Numbers 23:23. And again, "Divination is iniquity." And elsewhere, "You shall not be soothsayers, and follow observers of omens, nor diviners, nor dealers with familiar spirits. You shall not preserve alive wizards," Leviticus 19:26; Deuteronomy 18:10. Therefore Jeremiah exhorts, saying, "Walk not according to the ways of the heathen, and be not afraid of the signs of heaven." So it is the duty of a believer to avoid the assemblies of the ungodly, of the heathen, and of the Jews, and of the rest of the heretics, lest by joining ourselves to them we bring snares on our own souls, so that by joining in their feasts, which are celebrated in honor of demons, we may not be partakers with them in their impiety. You are also to avoid their public meetings, and those sports which are celebrated in them. For a believer ought not to go to any of those publ

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

Abstain, therefore, from all idolatrous pomp and state, all their public meetings, banquets, duels, and all shows belonging to demons.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

What else is found in the Circus games except foolishness, emptiness, and madness? People's souls are swept away into wild excitement, with as much force as the chariot races themselves are driven there. So those who come to watch the show become even more of a show themselves, when they begin to shout, lose control with excitement, and jump up from their seats. Therefore, all shows ought to be avoided. This is not only so that no vice may take root in our hearts, which ought to be calm and peaceful, but also so that the regular enjoyment of any pleasure may not soften and capture us, and turn us away from God and from good works. For the celebration of the games is a festival in honor of the gods, since they were established because of their birthdays or the dedication of new temples. At first, the hunts, which are called shows, were held in honor of Saturnus, and the stage games in honor of Liber, but the Circus games in honor of Neptune. Little by little, however, the same honor began to be given to the other gods also, and separate games were dedicated to their names, as Sisinnius Capito teaches in his book on the games. Therefore, if anyone is present at the shows where people

Minucius Felix, Octavius Supporting witness

... exhibitions. You take no part in public displays. You reject public banquets, and abhor the sacred contests. You reject meats previously tasted by, and drinks made a libation of upon, the altars. Thus you stand in dread of the gods whom you deny. You do not crown your heads with flowers. You do not grace your bodies with odors. You keep ointments for funeral rites. You even refuse garlands to your sepulchres, pale and trembling creatures, worthy of the pity even of our gods. Thus, miserable as you are, you neither rise again, nor do you live in the meantime. Therefore, if you have any wisdom or modesty, stop prying into the regions of the sky, and the destinies and secrets of the world. It is enough to look before your feet, especially for untaught, uncultivated, boorish, rustic people. Those who have no ability to understand civil matters are much more denied the ability to discuss divine things.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

What else does the practice of the Circensian games contain but levity, vanity, and madness?

Minucius Felix, Octavius Supporting witness

In the scenic games also the madness is not less, but the debauchery is more prolonged: for now a mimic either expounds or shows forth adulteries;

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness

...y and pursuit of every pleasure. Over all these, desire rules like a tyrant. And countless passions related to these increase, by which uncontrolled habits are carried to the highest degree. And Scripture says, "Whips are prepared for the intemperate, and punishments for the shoulders of fools," Proverbs 19:29, calling the powers of intemperance, and the steady endurance of it, "the shoulders of fools." Therefore, "Remove vain hopes from your servants," it says, "and turn away shameful desires from me. Let not appetite for food and intercourse take hold of me."

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Direct teaching

It remains to speak about public shows. Since they have a stronger power to corrupt the mind, the wise should avoid them and guard against them completely. People say they were established to honor the gods. The performance of shows is a festival of Saturnus. The stage belongs to Father Liber. The Circensian games are thought to be dedicated to Neptunus. So now, anyone who takes part in these shows seems to have left the worship of God and crossed over to profane rites. But I prefer to speak about the thing itself rather than its origin. What is so terrible, what is so filthy, as the killing of a human being? That is why our life is protected by the strictest laws. That is why wars are hateful. Yet custom has found a way for a man to commit murder without war and without laws. And this becomes a pleasure to him, because he thinks he has punished guilt. But if being present at a killing means sharing in the guilt, and the spectator is involved in the same guilt as the one who did it, then in these slaughters of gladiators, the spectator is no less stained with blood than the one who sheds it. Nor can the person be free from the guilt of bloodshed if he wanted the blood to be poured

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

And at first the huntings, which are called shows, were in honour of Saturnus, and the scenic games in honour of Liber, but the Circensian in honour of Neptune.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

For the celebrations of the games are festivals in honour of the gods, inasmuch as they were instituted on account of their birthdays, or the dedication of new temples.

Arnobius, Against the Heathen Supporting witness

But what reason is there for the games you celebrate, called the Floralia and Megalensia, and all the rest that you want to be sacred and counted as religious duties? What cause was there that made it necessary for them to be established, founded, and named after gods? “The gods are honored by these,” your opponent says. “And if they remember any offenses committed by men, they put that aside, get rid of it, and show themselves gracious to us again, with their friendship renewed.” And again, why do they become completely calm and gentle if foolish things are done, and idle men perform before the eyes of the crowd? Does Jupiter put away his anger if Plautus’s Amphitryon is acted and recited? Or if Europa, Leda, Ganymede, or Danae is shown in dancing, does he hold back his passionate desires? Is the Great Mother made calmer and gentler if she sees the old story of Attis dressed up again by the actors? Will Venus forget her displeasure if she sees mimes perform the part of Adonis also in a ballet? Does the anger of Aleides die away if the tragedy of Sophocles called Trachiniae, or the Hercules of Euripides, is performed? Or does Flora think she is being honored if, at her games, she s

Arnobius, Against the Heathen Supporting witness

... the meaning of the earth’s rumblings and the earthquakes, which, we are told, happened because the games had been celebrated carelessly, and their proper form and order had not been observed? Yet when they were celebrated again and repeated with careful attention, the terrors of the gods were quieted, and they were brought back to care and friendship toward men. How often after that, in obedience to the commands of seers and the answers of diviners, has sacrifice been offered, and certain gods have been called in from nations living beyond the sea, and shrines built for them, and certain images and statues placed on higher pillars? By these acts, fears of coming dangers have been turned away, the most troublesome enemies have been defeated, and the republic has been enlarged both by repeated joyful victories and by gaining possession of several provinces. Now this certainly would not happen if the gods despised sacrifices, games, and other acts of worship, and did not think themselves honored by atoning offerings. If, then, all the rage and indignation of the deities are cooled when these things are offered, and the things that seemed full of terrors become favorable, it is cle

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background

...xty-five years. From that point to the expedition of Perseus, when Glaucus established the Isthmian games in honor of Melicerta, were fifteen years. From the expedition of Perseus to the building of Troy were thirty-four years. From that point to the voyage of the Argo were sixty-four years. From that point to Theseus and the Minotaur were thirty-two years, then to the seven against Thebes, ten years. Then to the Olympic contest, which Hercules established in honor of Pelops, were three years, and to the expedition of the Amazons against Athens, and the abduction of Helen by Theseus, were nine years. From that point to the deification of Hercules were eleven years, then to the abduction of Helen by Alexander, four years. From the fall of Troy to the arrival of Æneas and the founding of Lavinium were ten years, and to the rule of Ascanius, eight years, and to the return of the Heraclidæ, sixty-one years, and to the Olympiad of Iphitus, three hundred and thirty-eight years. Eratosthenes gives the dates in this way: From the capture of Troy to the return of the Heraclidæ, eighty years. From that point to the founding of Ionia, sixty years, and the following period to the protectora

Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen Supporting witness

and the Olympian games, which are nothing else than the funeral sacrifices of Pelops, the Zeus of Phidias claims for himself.

Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians Supporting witness

...o be the same as Zeus and Apollo. The Thasians worship Theagenes, a man who committed murder at the Olympic games. The Samians worship Lysander, despite all the killings and all the crimes committed by him. Alcman and Hesiod worship Medea, and the Cilicians worship Niobe. The Sicilians worship Philip the son of Butacides. The Amathusians worship Onesilus. The Carthaginians worship Hamilcar. Time would fail me if I tried to list them all. Therefore, when they disagree among themselves about their gods, why do they accuse us of not agreeing with them? Now look at the practices among the Egyptians. Are they not completely ridiculous? In their temples, at their sacred festivals, they beat their breasts as if mourning the dead, and they offer sacrifices to those same beings as gods. And this is no wonder, since they regard animals as gods. When these animals die, they shave themselves, bury them in temples, and make public mourning. If, then, we are guilty of impiety because we do not practice a piety like theirs, then all cities and all nations are guilty of impiety, because they do not all acknowledge the same gods.

Cyprian, Epistles Direct teaching

8. For worldly contests, men are trained and prepared, and they count it a great glory and honor if they happen to be crowned in the sight of the people and in the presence of the emperor. Look at this high and great contest, also glorious because of the reward of a heavenly crown. Since God watches us as we struggle, and stretches His gaze over those whom He has been pleased to make His sons, He takes pleasure in the sight of our contest. God watches us in the battle and as we fight in the struggle of faith. His angels watch us, and Christ watches us. How great is the dignity, and how great is the blessedness of this glory, to fight in the presence of God and to be crowned, with Christ as judge! Let us be armed, beloved brothers, with all our strength, and let us be prepared for the struggle with an uncorrupted mind, a sound faith, and devoted courage. Let the camp of God go out to the battlefield appointed for us. Let those who are sound be armed, lest one who is sound should lose the advantage of having recently stood firm. Let the lapsed also be armed, so that even the lapsed may regain what he has lost. Let honor stir up all, and let sorrow stir up the lapsed to battle. The Ap

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

...r struggle, the higher your crown will be. The struggle is one, but it is filled with many kinds of contests. You overcome hunger, despise thirst, and trample underfoot the filth of the dungeon and the terror of that very place of punishment by the strength of your courage. There punishment is overcome, torture is worn out, and death is not feared but desired, because it is conquered by the reward of immortality, so that the one who has conquered is crowned with eternal life. What kind of mind, then, must be in you? How exalted, how great must your heart be, when such great things are decided, when nothing is considered except God's commands and Christ's rewards! Then the will is only God's will. And although you are still living in the flesh, the life you now live is not of the present world, but of the world to come.

2 Timothy 2:5 Supporting witness

And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

1 Corinthians 9:25 Supporting witness

And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Supporting witness

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

1 Timothy 4:8 Supporting witness

For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

1 Corinthians 10:7 Supporting witness

Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.